Coffee Cups…. Buckets and Thimbles ….

There is a multitude of different drinks and different sizes available to you when you order a coffee ….  I’m sure most ppl reading this have had the experience  that results in you  saying I just want a coffee mate !  I know I have! I remember vividly feeling like an absolute idoit in Monmouth coffee in London when asked what coffee bean I would like ! Thankfully being in a top class coffee shop like that I received some great guidance or should I say the barista chose for me. 

The trouble is there’s a multitude of fancy Italian names , a multitude of different sizes and a multitude of shops selling what seems like the same drink. You can get a latte from a post office now a days and unfortunately most of the places serving you these drinks only vaguely know what difference are themselves . Its no wonder the consumer can get confused.  Its actually really simple , so here goes ..

Excluding Filter style coffees, V60 Chemex  French Press etc. etc. ..

 The coffee you buy in coffee shops is made with a  shot of espresso and mixed/diluted with Milk Water or soya(alternative) to make it larger in volume.. in coffee talk this is a long drink

Espresso….  An concentrated shot of coffee around 30ml of liquid …

This is then diluted to taste with     yep Milk Soya or Water …… or any other milk alternative..

Simple really. And as most stores will only do one type of espresso shot and unless they double up the shots it’s the same amount of coffee in all the drinks.

The Larger the cup the More Diluted the coffee.

As a general rule If you like your coffee milky and creamy get yourself a large

If you like you’re coffee with milk but strong and not overly milky get a smaller one.

This applies to black coffees as well as all you are doing is diluting the espresso with water instead of milk.

What you are buying is a diluted espresso and it’s the ratio you need to get your head around and of course its to your taste, there is no right and wrong here.

Its easy to perceive value in the size of a cup, in Speciality coffee the true value is in taste of the drink.  Of course we also want the caffeine hit but this should be a standard in all coffee drinks.

So how come most places only serves massive buckets of milk mixed with espresso?

Now there’s nothing wrong with a large cup of milk if that’s to your taste but specialist coffee houses have moved towards smaller cups with a fuller sweeter intense flavour.  This is actually very hard to do well as the margin for error is small.  You need to start with a great tasting shot of espresso.

A great espresso will complement the milk.  Milk blocks the taste of coffee so if you have a sour or bitter espresso shot then you can cover this up with a large amount of milk, plus a few sugars..

Actually making a shot of espresso is a very finite thing, there is  allot  of work and skills that go into a great shot.   Each basket of coffee should be weighed to ensure accuracy and the shot needs to be timed then the resulting espresso should be weighed again to ensure the correct yield has been achieved in the cup.

Its amazing how much of a few seconds difference can make to the taste of a shot and it’s incredible how much a couple of grams (or ml) on overall yield of espresso can make . A 2g gram change in yield can change a sweet flavoursome espresso into a bitter or sour sharp tasting espresso shot.

Without checking every dose in and the length of time to brew each espresso. A consistently good shot is almost impossible. There are very few Coffee Houses that wish to go this accurate its speciality thing. 

It’s a shame really there are a lot country’s around the globe the coffee culture at this higher standard Australia America Italy etc etc. the Uk is a long way behind the rest of the world. Especially outside the city’s. Although we are catching up fast . In North Devon there’s a few Coffee houses now offering this alternative to the normal …   Coffee n Skate (self plug) ,  Love From Marjorie  and a new one in Croyde I’ve heard is opening soon ..   fingers crossed more will open and good old ND may start catching up with the world at large (big wish tht)

Hopefully this will help you understand how a coffee is made up and in turn help you find your perfect cuppa Joe… also here’s a few things to look out for ..

Small cups – Normal only offered in coffee shops that make a good espresso

Cleaning- Machines baskets etc etc should be spotless at all times.

Clean milk pitchers – Pitchers should be cold and clean before every use.

If you see your local doing these things they most likely really care about the product they are serving..   I know we do